


The Divide

by warriorSQ22



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Cora is a bitch, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, No Hook or Robin because it's what we deserve, Reincarnation, Soulmate AU, contains a sq version of stable queen, follows some elements from ouat s1, protostar challenge fic, the mirror of erised - borrowed this from Harry Potter tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-03 05:00:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15811878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warriorSQ22/pseuds/warriorSQ22
Summary: Mother has a carefully laid out plan for Regina's life. It's one that would gain her a higher status than simply being a Lady for the rest of her life.But there's a problem - well, two really.A soulmate Regina sees in one of the Enchanted Mirrors of Erised and a pesky problem called fate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inkedauthority](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkedauthority/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Divide [Protostar Art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15601491) by [inkedauthority](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkedauthority/pseuds/inkedauthority). 



> The idea for this fic was sooooo instantaneous upon seeing the lovely art piece. It became such a monster idea in my head that I was afraid I’d never complete it, but yet, here we are! It’s all completed and I’d like to thank Sai for creating such lovely art that really resonated with me, it's truly amazing! Please go give it all of the love it deserves!
> 
> Special thanks go out to my friends Laura, Charlotte and Serena for all of their help and just generally being hella amazing people. I couldn't have done this without them :')
> 
> To the supernova mods: thank you for organizing this event! Y'all the real MVPs!

_Soulmate_.

****

Regina presses herself to the slightly ajar door leading to Mother’s private study when she hears that word hissed with absolute vitriol.

****

Mother paces in the semi-dark room, speaking in sharp tones with a golden skinned man dressed in an auburn colored cloak. She barely catches more than a few snippets of their conversation but there was an odd tension hanging heavy in the room causing Regina’s stomach to knot.

****

“She is of age.” Mother says with her back to Regina and her shoulders tight, tension rolling off her in waves.

****

“Indeed.” The golden man replies and his beady yellow eyes find Regina’s, freezing her in place. “I do believe it's time to welcome our guest.” His shrill voice announces and soon there’s cold magic wrapping around Regina’s chest as she disappears from the corridor and reappears right before the disapproving face of Mother.

****

She stumbles back, apologies manifesting on her lips that fall on deaf ears as her Mother immediately silences her with a wave of purple magic.

****

There's a silver ornate mirror standing before them, one that’s carved with what looks like words from a strange ancient language. Mother doesn’t chastise her for lingering outside - that would come later. Instead she roughly shoves Regina in front of the mirror and says nothing.

****

Regina’s entire body shakes. She knows she's in trouble, knows that look in Mother's eyes as she's instructed by the golden man to face the mirror.

****

The mirror shimmers with a cloak of white magic as Mother tells her about it in the most detached voice Regina’s ever heard her speak. It was called one of the Mirrors of Erised - the original was a powerful item that was shattered during the Ogre Wars. The magic within it was powerful and so every single shard had been fashioned into its own separate mirror.

****

It was used long ago to show people what they desire most, a person who was intrinsically tied to their destiny, a person their souls longed for - their soulmates.

****

Regina has never truly believed in soulmates - has never had the cause to. It's a word Mother has denigrated and demolished at every possible angle.

****

She taught Regina that soulmates made people _weak_. It was why the King of the White Kingdom ended the hundred year war with a neighbouring kingdom when his beloved passed on. He never made tactical decisions without his wife, without his _soulmate_. It’s why most people spent their lives on a mundane search for their so called other half instead of focusing on acquiring power.

****

It was _pathetic_ \- Mother’s word. That reliance on another person. That intimacy blinded even the mightiest of men. Shortcomings like that were fatal personality flaws that pretty sentimental terms like _love_ and _soulmates_ concealed.

****

After all, _love is weakness_ , and soulmates were even worse by nature.

****

So now Regina doesn’t know what to expect.

****

She’s led a sheltered life, having little to no interactions beyond tutors and suitors Mother deemed worthy to come to their estate. She always told Regina that a suitor was meant simply to better her station in life, and now Mother wants her to know about her soulmate?

****

Regina can’t deny that the romance of it all hadn’t made her heart _ache_ with want, with a longing that was all consuming.

****

It’s something she’s thought about many a time, in the quiet of night tucked beneath her blankets. It’s also something that crossed her mind when their new stablehand, Emma, had nervously given her a flower and told her she looked pretty when she smiled.

****

They had formed a fast friendship, one they’d hid from Mother. Regina felt so giddy around Emma, relishing their rides around the estate with her favorite steed and their quiet picnics beneath her father’s apple trees when Mother  wasn’t around.

****

There was an intensity to their encounters that went far beyond mere friendship but they never truly crossed that line, both too afraid of the stigma attached to how they felt about each other.

****

But as Regina stands before the mirror, none of those other suitors Mother’s thrown her way comes to mind.

****

_Emma_ is all she thinks about.

****

At first, there’s nothing, the surface of the mirror remains a blank void, only reflecting Regina’s image back at her. And a piece of her, the part that’s so much like her father and so opened to love, deflates.  

****

Then a little flicker of light in the middle of the mirror catches her attention. And suddenly, there in front of her, is the most beautiful image Regina’s ever laid eyes on.

****

It’s Emma, dressed in an emerald cloak with that impish smirk directed at Regina. Her golden hair hangs in wild ringlets around her shoulders and slowly, the brightest smile lights her entire face as the most enchanting laugh Regina's ever heard slips passed her lips. Her eyes are as green as the forest and her smile as radiant as an exploding star casting Regina’s world in brilliant color.

****

An overwhelming sensation of tranquility  overcomes Regina as the confirmation that she is inexplicably linked with Emma floods her. And she aches to reach out to the Emma in the mirror, to turn around and run towards the _real_ Emma, bury herself within her embrace and tell her that what they felt for each other isn’t _wrong_.

****

Mother brings her back to reality, asking in a sharp crisp voice if she sees anything in the mirror. And Regina _lies_ , tells her what she wants to hear. The pleased smile that breaks across Mother's face is everything Regina’s ever wanted as she says ‘ _You are your Mother's daughter, and you're not bound by fate._ ’

****

Fate has a funny way of upending things regardless of what one does. And Regina would soon realize that she of all people, was not destined to escape hers.

****

Especially since the golden man has vague foresight of the future and has made Mother bring her there to confirm what they already suspect.

****

But in time she would learn - oh, she would learn.

****

* * *

****

A few days later Regina’s engaged to the White King after saving the life of his precious ten year old daughter, Snow.

****

It’s a proposal Mother accepts on her behalf with the most brilliant plastic smile and magic constricting Regina’s chest preventing her from saying what she truly wants to say.

****

The ride back to the estate is tense, Mother rattling off expectations of her new duties as the King’s bride. Snow doesn’t pick up on the tension, joining in on the conversation ever so often with her excitement over Regina _finally becoming a part of the family_.

****

And there’s a resentment towards the bright eyed girl that begins to take root within Regina, building up in her chest until it’s a huge lump constricting her throat.

****

Regina merely nods along to everything as expected and she blinks away the tears that form without her consent.

****

* * *

****

The minute Regina’s left alone, she runs to Emma. She’s tending to the horses in the stables as Regina falls into her arms, tears cascading down her face.

****

“Regina.” Emma breathes her name with such love and affection, cupping her face in gentle calloused hands. “What’s wrong?”

****

And she tells her everything, about Mother setting her up to rescue Snow White, about the King’s proposal and Mother’s acceptance on her behalf.

****

Regina sees her own devastation reflected deeply within Emma’s eyes, all the anger and disbelief over what’s happening. They were _soulmates_. They belong together. She tells Emma  what she’d seen in the mirror and how they weren’t  going to get the chance to be together.

****

Locals in the kingdom knew that a mirror of that calibre was known as one of the soul windows. There was widespread talk about a privileged few having the means of finding their soulmates alive and well. And even having a soulmate was a rare thing most people envied.

****

“Let me take you away from here.” Emma says, carding gentle fingers through Regina’s hair as Regina tucks her head against her shoulder. “I can gather some supplies and we can leave tomorrow night. Start a new life together. I - I can find other jobs. I’m good at other things like carpentry and....” Emma struggles. “It may not be as comfortable as this life you have here but it’ll be something, and we’ll be together.”

****

Regina’s nodding before Emma can finish her sentence and raising her head to smile at her as that awful knot in her stomach loosens.

****

“I’d love that.” She admits quietly as Emma gently brushes away the rest of her tears.

****

“And I love you.” Emma admits breathlessly, leaning down to seal her promise with a kiss placed sweetly against Regina’s lips.

****

It’s a first for them, a first kiss that's utterly _perfect._

****

Emma breaks away from it with a shy look on her blushing face, and Regina pulls her back in by her red tunic, kissing her soundly.

****

Emma’s arms are around her in an instant, and they feel like a safe haven, a world away from the insanity of her life. Regina’s heart soars as her fingers tangle in Emma’s messy golden hair, and Emma kisses her back with a fervor that they both lose themselves within. It’s everything Regina’s ever wanted in a kiss. It rights the world, until a startled gasp breaks them apart.

****

Snow’s standing at the entrance to the stables, a look of abject betrayal in her wide green eyes and a second later she’s bolting out of the door. Regina apologizes to Emma, pressing a gentle kiss to her flushed cheek before turning on her heel and running after Snow.

****

Regina finds her huddled at the base of one of her father’s carriages  sobbing her heart out. Snow gives her a reproachful look and doesn’t even want Regina to come near her as she struggles with reconciling what she’s just seen.

****

Regina kneels before her, daring to take her hands as she implores her to understand.

****

She tells Snow that she’s been in love with Emma long before the King proposed. She speaks of their love, _true love_ , love that fills her chest and warms her soul and feels like the purest magic in the land made tangible. She speaks of _soulmates_ , of having found hers and not having it within her to love another the way she loves Emma. She admits that the minute she met Emma it was as if something major had shifted within her and she automatically knew that Emma was special to her, that she would forever be a part of her life.

****

Snow’s watery green eyes light up at the prospect of soulmates. She tells Regina of an enchanted mirror they’ve had in the castle that’s been passed down within their family for generations, a mirror which had already shown her the image of a blond haired boy with the bluest eyes.

****

Snow tells her that she deserves to be with her soulmate and Regina hugs the girl and asks her to keep what had been said between them a secret.

****

* * *

****

Mother is out on business the next day, business Regina knows from experience will take her at least a few days.

****

Emma’s excitement is contagious as they have what would be their last picnic together on the estate, trading lazy kisses in the dying rays of the afternoon sun. They talk about the many adventures they’d have on the road, of all the places Emma wanted to take Regina. Emma admits to having gathered most of the supplies they’d needed the evening before, telling Regina that she’d be back by nightfall with a rickety carriage that was given to her by a friend. They’d take Regina’s horse, a strong dark stallion she called Rocinante and Emma’s horse, a golden haired mare she called Bug and hitch them to it as they rode out of the estate and into their new lives.

****

“You’ve thought about this more than you’ve been letting on.” Regina amusingly accuses and Emma smiles and ducks her head as her face turns an adorable shade of red. “Have you thought about the number of children we ought to have too?”

****

“Would it distress you if I say that I have?” Emma asks softly and there’s a vulnerability to her eyes as she looks away that Regina immediately wants to comfort. She tips Emma’s chin up so that she’s staring into those bright green eyes she loves so much as she gives her reply.

****

“Not in the slightest.” Regina reassures her, pleasantly surprised with the truth behind her own reply as Emma’s arm around her waist tugs her in close enough so that their noses brush together. And Emma smiles, a soft beautiful thing that makes Regina all fluttery in the pit of her stomach.

****

“Good.” Emma hums. “Because I know you’d be an amazing mother to our three kids.”

****

“Three!” Regina exclaims and Emma giggles along with her as she nods her head enthusiastically. “Am I having all of these children myself?”

****

“Of course not.” Emma says. “But it doesn’t matter how we have them. We’re gonna love them all.”

****

“Haven’t thought that far ahead, huh?” Regina’s eyes narrow playfully and Emma laughs, sweeping in to press a kiss to her lips.

****

“Oh I have.” Emma admits. “But I plan on marrying you first. Someday, Mills.” She grins, and it’s this charming cheeky smile that makes Regina want to lean in and kiss her again and again.

****

“Three kids _and_ a proposal.” Regina says, curling a lock of blonde hair around her finger. “My future’s looking brighter already.”

****

“I can’t help that I want to spend every moment I have with you.” Emma tells her in a breathless whisper. It's honest and so moving, instilling a deep longing within Regina for this future that feels just within their grasp. Regina smiles, caught up in those forest green eyes as she cups Emma’s cheek, delivering one of the softest kisses they’ve ever shared to Emma’s supple lips.

****

“And I, you, my love.” Regina admits, eyes shining with such adoration as she caresses Emma's cheek. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”

****

But their trip was never to be.  

****

Mother’s coach comes home without her a few hours later. It's something Regina finds odd but doesn't question as the long hours drag by and night falls over the estate.

****

She's giddy with anticipation, taking the only bag she's packed with her belongings, and bolts for the stables when their servants turn in for the night.

****

Emma's already there, dressed in her usual knee high boots, tan colored pants and slender white flowing tunic. A sword tucked into a scabbard at her side completes the look and Regina smiles when she turns around and their eyes meet.

****

It's an attire Mother had once told her was not becoming of any self respecting woman. But it suited the woman Emma had become, a courageous, independent woman who'd carved a life for herself regardless of being abandoned at birth.

****

She puts the thoughts of Mother and her rules out of her mind as she drops her bag and slips easily into Emma's open arms. Her heart finds immediate comfort from Emma's warm embrace and her ever present cinnamon scent.

****

“You came.” Emma whispers softly in her ear. “I'm glad.”

****

Regina smiles and their foreheads fall together. “I couldn't stay away even if I tried.”

****

Emma explains the route they'd be taking, let's Regina know that she's saddled Rocinante and Bug with everything they'd need and that the only thing left to do was ride them both off of the estate where the carriage awaits.

****

“How _touching_.” A bodiless voice chuckles, echoing around the stables. It's a voice that makes ice curl in Regina's veins, and dread settles like lead in her stomach.

****

Mother appears in a whirl of purple smoke less than a few feet away and Emma pulls out her sword in response, holding it in a threatening manner towards their unwanted guest.

****

“You were just planning to leave Regina?” Mother asks pointedly and there's disappointment in her voice. Regina’s chest _aches_ and her clammy hands reach out for Emma’s shoulder. “Without saying goodbye? After everything I've done for you? Groomed you into the woman that you are? You're just going to callously break your father's heart?”

****

“I…” Regina's heart is beating in overtime. There's danger in the air, she can _feel_ it, can feel darkness pressing in against her skin as she takes a bold step to position her own body just a little in front of Emma’s. The brief mention of her mild mannered father sends agony piercing through her heart but she stands firm; she _has_ to make a life of her own with the person she chooses. “I didn't think that you'd willingly let me leave.”

****

“You're my daughter.” Mother says and her voice sounds so...sad. “I only want what's best for you.”

****

Mother seems contrite, begging Regina not to leave the estate, assuring her that she understands how she feels and then proceeds to recall how she'd met her soulmate long ago.

****

Regina's hanging on her words, believing every single one with a kind of desperation that seeks Mother’s affection, a love she's been deprived of for as long as she can remember as tears collect in Mother's eyes when she speaks about a man who died to protect her.

****

Emma effortlessly slides her hand into Regina's, tugging her back. “You're lying.” Emma hisses as Mother gets closer, lifting her sword in Mother's direction with a righteous fury Regina's never seen her reveal before. “I can't explain it but I know you are, tell Regina the _truth_!”

****

“The truth…” Mother says, moving towards them until Emma's sword is pressed just beneath her neck. Emma stands firm, boldly staring Mother in the eyes with no regard for her own personal safety. “The truth is that you will _never_ be worthy of my daughter.”

****

Instantly, Mother’s hand is buried deep within Emma’s chest, grasping onto her heart and yanking it out with a precision only attainable from years of _practice_.

****

“NO!” Regina screams, eyes widening in horror as  Emma turns to her with the most devastating look in her emerald eyes.

****

“Re...gina.” Emma chokes out, and the sword falls from her hand to clatter to the ground as she presses her hands to her chest. Mother’s hands _squeeze_ the organ in manic glee, bringing the stablehand to her knees and Regina follows, cupping Emma’s pale face.

****

“Stop!” She sobs, shakily turning to face Mother. “I’ll do _anything_ you want but _please_ , don’t _hurt_ her.”

****

“Don’t _hurt_ her.” Mother mocks, turning the organ around within her palms. Emma whines as the pressure on her heart worsens. “You’re clearly overly attached to this...trollop.” Mother sneers. “No daughter of mine is going to live such a life.”

****

“I’m in love with _her_!” Regina declares boldly, wrapping an arm around Emma’s shoulder as the blonde leans heavily into her, like she wasn’t able to physically keep herself upright with the amount of pain quaking through her body. “And she’s in love with _me_.”

****

Mother’s eyes are devoid of any type of understanding as Regina speaks. It’s something that chills Regina to her core but she continues, Emma’s soft heartbreaking whimpers causing her a deep agony she can’t contain.

****

“We’re destined to be together, I saw Emma in that mirror.”

****

“Yes, little Snow has told me all about that pesky problem.” Mother admits and her eyes turn stormy with her confession. “I knew you'd seen your soulmate thanks to the dark one, I just couldn't verify who it was until precious Snow White came along.”

****

Regina wishes she could take her own words back in that moment as Mother upends her world in a few damning sentences.

****

“You know, you really should have spent less time sneaking around with the help and more time _listening_ to your future step daughter speak. Maybe then you'd have realized that the little monster absolutely _cannot_ keep a secret.”

****

And that's it. Mother crushes the pulsing magically enhanced heart in her hands to dust. Regina feels  the pain of death shuddering through her and severing her connection to Emma the minute Emma’s body goes limp in her arms.

****

And Regina’s throat grows raw with her cries. She kisses Emma’s forehead, Emma’s eyelids, Emma’s nose and Emma’s lips, hoping for a miracle but knowing that the world has never been so kind to her.

****

She doesn’t know how long Mother stands there, observing them, but she eventually leaves Regina there, slumped on the floor of the stables with the cold, limp body of her dead soulmate and the scared whines of their horses as background noise.

****

* * *

****

The days and weeks after Emma’s death float by in a depressing hum of monotony for Regina. And the image within the mirror at the estate doesn't change. Emma’s still there, beautiful and young and...Regina’s cried herself to sleep every night since the ordeal, praying that she wakes up and it’s all a horrible dream but knowing that her reality is a worsening nightmare.

****

The day of her wedding arrives and in a wave of anguish, Regina knocks the mirror over, shattering the family heirloom with a teacup aimed poorly at the image of her lost soulmate. The minute the cup had flung from her hand a wave of energy had grasped at it, flowing from Regina’s palm and speeding up the projectile.

****

The mirror doesn’t survive her attack and neither does her faint willpower- she falls to the floor in front of the shattered mirror, losing consciousness for a few hours before she’s magicked awake by Mother and has to endure the second worst possible day of her life.

****

* * *

****

Resentment and despair become Regina’s closest friends as her new life within the walls of the White castle brings her new duties.

****

Duties she was not very keen on fulfilling.

****

Months later she finds the enchanted mirror Snow spoke of while aimlessly wandering the castle, the mirror she now knew to be one of those Mirrors of Erised.

****

It’s abandoned, covered with a thick film of dust that had settled on its sleek dark surface.

****

And the minute she steps in front of it, it glows, magic curling in the air to reveal an older version of _her Emma_.

****

Regina stumbles back, the Emma in the mirror looking all too real as she smiles that smile Regina loves and misses _oh so much_.  She looks alive and well and as if Regina could reach out and cup her beautiful shining face just beyond the surface of the mirror.

****

It’s too much for Regina to handle and she slumps to the floor, heart in shambles as tears cover her face and her cries for her lost soulmate draw the attention of the King’s royal guards.

****

She’s escorted back to her room where she remains a weepy mess for weeks on end until Mother is summoned to the castle by Princess Snow to... _comfort_ her.

****

On arrival Mother gently cups Regina’s face and pulls her into the warmest hug she could muster for all the royals to see, being the doting mother she never was. It’s a mocking semblance of love, but Regina eats it up, clings to Mother’s cloak until they’re alone. In the silence of Regina’s room Mother pushes her away and spits bitter insults that slice into Regina’s heart.

****

Words meant to make her feel a fool, meant to make her see how much power she could wield at her disposal if she so desired, as long as she kept the King _happy._

****

The King desired an heir from her. Mother urges her to escape the soulmate fantasy she's carved for herself within her head. Urges her to fulfil the King’s desires.

****

But Regina cannot even fathom having a child with anyone besides her Emma.

****

Mother's words are cruel, they trample over Regina’s feelings for her _soulmate_ , cutting Emma down for lack of status, lack of influential power, lack of nobility, lack of being the opposite sex.

****

Things that had never mattered. Not to Regina.

****

Emma had been an orphan, one who’d been hired by Regina’s father because she had been kind and tended to his horse on his visit to a neighbouring kingdom. He’d brought Emma back with him, much to Mother’s dismay.

****

Her father’s never been one to fight her Mother on major decisions, so Regina doesn't know why she expects him to now. He stands just outside of the room they're in, his head bowed, a position Regina’s come to frequently associate with him when he doesn’t dare to make eye contact with Regina as Mother's words carve an even greater gulf between them.

****

They’re all cruel arguments Mother uses to break her down but they no longer work. Regina doesn’t feel sorrowful or dejected or compliant to Mother’s every whim. Instead they spur her anger, an anger that burns bright and hot within her chest and is aimed at Mother and Snow when the girl has the audacity to naively pop into the room to _check on her dear stepmother._

****

* * *

****

Regina’s banned from visiting the mirror.

****

So she begins to sneak out late at night, discovering that she could channel that resentment burbling tightly within her veins into purple unsteady magic that makes her feel less vulnerable within the cold stone walls of the castle.

****

She sneaks out more often than not, finding herself huddled on the floor of that abandoned  room in the west wing as she stares at Emma’s image in the mirror and aches with renewed agony.

****

Her Emma, her precious Emma was gone. But the Emma within the mirror had aged more than she had. And now had the arms of an older version of Regina wrapped around her shoulders as they both spoke words Regina wasn’t able to hear.

****

They made the perfect couple, Emma dressed in a royal emerald robe that had a crest Regina could barely identify and the older Regina at her side, looking like she'd been through much to get there, and she stares into older Emma's eyes with a blatant love that makes present Regina’s skin itch.

****

And she can’t bare to see herself displayed like that, like such a lovesick _fool_.

****

This mirror was probably broken.

****

It had _lied_ to her, had likely shown her a _shade_. Because Emma was a person who had already passed on.

****

It was what Regina desired after all, to be with Emma. But this was _cruel_ , having Regina stare into the eyes of the woman she loves and desires a future with the most, and showing her a possibility of that future _without_ any conceivable way of being able to bring Emma back.

****

The golden man, whom she comes to realize is the dark one, appears a few days later, giddy with excitement when he learns of Regina's budding magic. He gives her an outlet for it, one that allows her to channel all of her pain and all of her hatred into the darkest magic she's ever felt. It rushes through her veins like an addictive jolt of adrenaline.

****

And soon, she's changing again, taking hearts of her own without so much as a complaint and amassing a collection for herself.

****

Regina scorches the earth with her pain, tricks Mother and imprisons her within a land she discovers lays beyond the sleek surface of the mirror, has her husband murdered and targets the girl who was responsible for Mother’s intel, losing herself to despair for many years.

****

Emma had left a void too deep to fill, one that steadily grew over the years as she was rightfully branded the title of evil. The hatred she begins to harbour for herself and what she was becoming evolves into a deafening crescendo that rages over the lands, destroying her enemies one by one as she hunts Snow White.

****

It would be too simple to kill her. Too simple to kill her idiot soulmate prince. Too easy to flick her wrist and snap Snow's neck and be done with it all.

****

She casts a curse, one that would take away happy endings, one that would rip Snow White away from her soulmate and give Regina the satisfaction she deserves.

****

* * *

****

She isn't satisfied.

****

The land without magic is just as hellish, placing an utmost importance on soulmates that makes its way into every single cliched movie or advertisement Regina watches on the fascinating box they call a television.

****

So she quits it entirely.

****

She’s the Mayor - a position akin to her previous monarch title, allowing her to Lord over the unknowing citizens of her little town as they all live in misery next to their soulmates.

****

It's the perfect revenge - one that quickly loses its appeal when the monotony of her days in Storybrooke settles over her and she truly realized how lonely she is.

****

That void Emma had left was ever present now, like a pulsing hole in her darkened heart that aches with a vengeance that has no cure. And on days when Regina can’t stand her solitude, she knocks back drinks harder than cider and replays the fond memories she’s compartmentalized and tucked safely away from all of her misdeeds and damning crimes, and loses herself within the echoes of the ghosts of her past.

****

A number of years go by and still nothing changes.

****

Until Regina decides that she needs to make a change, and with the help of the imp, she adopts a son.

****

At first, the prospect of being a new mother _terrifies_ her. And she’s reluctant to admit that until she’s holding Henry’s tiny form in her arms.

****

She has nightmares of _Mother_ that end with her waking in the middle of the night drenched in a cold sweat to cries from Henry that she can’t seem to quell.

****

He won't stop _crying_ no matter what Regina does. It’s as if unhappy and fussy is his constant state when he isn’t asleep, making Regina an all round nervous wreck when she tucks him into his bassinet to carry him into work with her.

****

They make a pit stop at Granny’s for breakfast and Henry absolutely refuses to drink his milk. Regina can’t even seem to muster up the courage to have breakfast herself, can’t even seem to find the energy required to concentrate on anything besides making Henry happy and she feels as if she’s going about this mothering thing entirely wrong.

****

The oppressive stares from the patrons who give her a wide berth also don’t help, they sear into her skin and Regina thinks that Henry, as tiny and helpless as he is, must subconsciously hate her too.

****

_Emma was supposed to be here_ , her mind hisses.

****

Emma was supposed to be here to help her. They were going to raise children together. But she’s gone, has been gone for so long now that Regina’s scared that she’ll truly forget what she looks like and - she breathes out steadily, shakily pressing kisses to Henry’s reddened face as his tiny cries fill the diner.

****

Mary Margaret, Snow’s cursed persona, is just as nosy as ever, and here, she doesn’t actually have a healthy fear for Regina. Which is downright counterproductive to the very reason the curse was casted in Regina’s opinion.

****

She asks to take Henry for a few minutes while Regina tries to have her breakfast, and Regina’s been so ready to throw in the towel on this mothering thing for a while now that the weariness she feels makes her unexpectedly agree.

****

It gives her fifteen minutes of reprieve, and when she’s done she glances over, studiously watching Snow rocking a calm Henry in her arms and is suddenly afraid to take him lest he decides to cry again.

****

Snow urges her closer and lets her know that babies can sense the unease within their mothers. And as Regina listens intently to everything she has to say, she can’t believe she’s getting mothering tips from _Snow White_ of all people. Some part of her is very much unsettled by that fact and she spares a thought for the baby she remembers Snow having just before the curse was cast.

****

Snow ’s a natural at this, and that baby should have been with them in Storybrooke but it’s a thought that’s immediately put out of her mind when Snow lays Henry back into her arms and everything else just seems to fall away as Henry gurgles warmly up at her.

****

And Regina’s heart is absolutely stolen by her baby boy.

****

After that, things start looking up.

****

Henry is an absolute delight, filling her long days with laughter and her big lonely mansion with childlike glee. Regina is overprotective but she spoils him, giving him everything he needs and in time, she’s slowly able to put Emma’s ghost and Mother’s shadows to rest.

****

That is, until Henry turns ten and an old fairytale book he finds unexpectedly at the back of his bookshelf one day exposes her true identity to him, makes him also realize that he’s been adopted.

****

Their relationship gets strained quickly, especially when Regina keeps denying Henry’s claims about her fairytale nature. It’s something she can’t seem to bring herself to talk about with him and he grows distant and angry, using the fact that she isn’t his real mother in a way that shatters her heart.

****

Regina’s almost thrown headfirst into a panic attack when Henry runs away from home and she can’t track him down.

****

She immediately has Sheriff Graham on the hunt for him. But her boy is clever, and Regina fears that he may have somehow left town without them knowing.

****

Her hellish day suddenly takes a different turn when Henry turns up that night, unscathed. Regina’s so relieved that she engulfs him in her arms, sighing when he seemingly forgets himself and presses his forehead against hers for a few seconds before abruptly tearing himself away and telling her he’s found his _birth_ mom.

****

Henry doesn't run away like he usually does when he wants to end their interactions. He stands there, watching her intently as her eyes settle on the woman who's brought him back home.

****

Regina can’t breathe. She’s left staring into those familiar green eyes as the beautiful aged version of _her_ Emma, the one she’d seen so many times in the mirror, stands before her. She freezes, eyes startling, and doesn’t know what to say or how to react.

****

_Emma_ is on her doorstep, alive and returning Regina’s son and a helpless ‘ _You’re Henry’s birth mother?_ ’ is slipping from her lips as Emma upends her world with a small tilt of her head and a breathless _‘Hi’_.

****

Regina’s never been more confused or afraid in her entire life.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma introduces herself, a charming smile tugging at the corner of her lips, but no hint of recognition in her enchanting green eyes.

 

Nevertheless, those eyes render Regina's quivering heart powerless, thudding in agonizing beats that relive their final moments together. **** ~~~~

Emma doesn’t know her. Of course she doesn’t, she was born _here_ , in the land without magic. She wasn’t Emma Colter, she was Emma _Swan_ , a woman who _doesn’t_ know Regina.

****

Regina introduces herself in little more than a shaky whisper, inviting the ghost of her dead lover inside on a careless whim which she covers with gratitude for the return of her son. Still, she smiles at Regina like she's the sun and the moon and the stars all bundled into one. Instantly, Regina sees her Emma before her, wearing that impish look she loves so much and tucking her thumbs into the pockets of her trousers.

 

She blinks away the ghostly memory and smiles, a little strained around the edges as she leads Emma Swan inside.

****

Emma accepts a drink from her and their fingers casually brush. It sends a startling pulse of confirmation to Regina's still doubting heart. She is _real_ , and _there_ and... _how_ the hell this is even possible?

****

Henry sits on the couch with his nose stuck in his fairytale book, eyes less than subtly flickering to them, watching their every movement. He’s in trouble, he knows he is, but he also knows how skittish Regina gets when he brings out that book and she can't bear to start another argument with him over it. Especially when he coyly flips to a page with such a realistic illustration of _her_ Emma in the stables that Regina’s heart lurches. She reaches out and quickly closes the book before _this_ Emma sees, and instantly sends Henry up to bed.

 

“He's a smart kid.” Emma compliments as Henry drags himself up the stairs, lingering briefly as he shoots Regina a _look_ , and she knows he won't be dropping their little situation any time soon. “The little dude threatened to say I kidnapped him if I didn't personally bring him back here.”

****

Regina sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I'm sorry about that he's just...he’s had such a visceral reaction when he recently realized that he's adopted.”

****

Emma smiles softly. “That doesn't make you any less his mother,”  she says, “most kids in the system don't get half as lucky as he did.”

****

Regina hums, wanting nothing more than to stare deeply into Emma’s eyes and cup her face, map every inch of her body as she takes in the changes that time and a new realm have ravaged upon her.

****

But she can’t. This is not _her_ Emma.

****

Yet, Emma is here, in her home and Regina tries to be discrete as she blatantly observes her. Emma's eyes inquisitively scan the interior of the house and really, she could be a _thief_ for all Regina knows and yet she can’t summon the will to care.

****

Emma Swan is _beautiful_ and _charming_ and way too open, telling Regina, a virtual stranger, about her lonely bail bondsperson life back in Boston and how she’s not much of a believer, and although a little corny, it felt like fate when Henry knocked on her door and brought her to town.

 

Emma is kind, as well as sweet, and _she’s Henry’s birth mother_ \- a fact Regina still can’t seem to process.

****

They have a pleasant conversation, one that has Regina hanging on her every word, but Emma soon gets a little deflated when she realizes that her drink is done and it's time for her to leave. Her brows furrow, and it’s so _familiar_ that Regina’s heart aches.  It’s the same expression she wore whenever she wanted to ask Regina something serious, and there’s a vulnerability to her green enchanting eyes that has Regina absolutely weak in the knees when she tentatively asks if she can occasionally visit -  to get to know Henry.

****

Regina struggles with what to say.

****

She wants to say _no_ , hiss it really, because a part of her is scared of losing her son. As much as it pains her, this Emma doesn’t know her. But her answer comes out as a weak _of course,_ because there’s the other part that reminds her that they've essentially fulfilled one of their teenage dreams - being parents to the same child.

****

They exchange numbers and Emma Swan leaves the mansion with a goofy smile on her lips, and a carelessly tossed ‘ _Goodnight, Regina Mills_ ’ that lodges itself deep within Regina's still grieving heart.

****

Regina has to protect herself.

****

She has to, for _her_ Emma’s sake. She won’t fall for this one.

****

She will be cordial because of Henry, but that’s as far as their interactions will go. 

****

* * *

****

The next day Henry is _relentless_.

****

He demands to know what happened in fairytale land, demands to know why Regina's the villain of the story and how and why his birth mother has the face of an Emma she lost long ago.

****

Regina wants to explain herself to him but she doesn't know what to say.

****

She makes a deal with him, finally admitting that his book is real, that magic is real, and she’d discuss it further with him when he gets home from school only if he keeps it to himself.

****

Henry agrees readily, falling into her arms like he doesn’t care anymore that he’s been adopted and that she’s basically confirmed that she’s the Evil Queen from his fairytale book. He kisses her on the cheek and bolts up the stairs to go get ready for school. Regina’s so thrown by his complete one eighty from angry to happy that she’s left floundering, wondering what she’s even going to say to him when he gets home that evening.

****

* * *

****

Emma ends up staying in town for a few more days and then moving in with Regina’s number one nemesis, Mary Margaret - much to Regina’s chagrin.

****

She spends a lot of her time around Snow - who had apparently appointed herself Emma’s official tour guide. There’s an ease to their friendship that Regina just doesn’t understand. They've never truly had one on one interactions with each other in the other land, so seeing them this cordial is truly unsettling.

****

Regina's naturally distrusting of anyone who’d affiliate themselves with Mary Margaret. So when Emma starts making attempts to swing by the mansion for round two of their amazing heart to heart, Regina doesn’t react favourably.

****

And they don’t get along.

****

It’s no surprise there since Regina doesn’t make it easy.

****

She can’t betray the memory of her Emma. Even if this one talks like her and walks like her and drives Regina _completely_ insane, _just like her_.

****

But Regina had agreed to Emma spending time with Henry - a fact that Henry takes perfect advantage of to use Emma’s monstrously yellow tin can on wheels as his ride to school, astronomy club meetings, and to bring her around the house for dinner.

****

That starts a trend. It becomes obvious that Henry begins one of his ‘operations’ when he slyly and consistently finds ways to slip out of the room and leave them both alone. He dubs it ‘Operation: Parent Trap’ in one of his notebooks, Regina finds it stuck inside of the fairytale book. She has to sit him down and explain how Emma Swan is _not_ the Emma from the book.

****

“But _Mom_ they look exactly the same!” Henry rebuts. “And I _know_ what can break the curse! You just have to true love’s kiss her!”

****

Regina drinks more than three glasses of wine that evening trying in vain to explain to him why _that_ plan won’t work.

****

Emma Colter was sweet and funny and absolutely delightful. Regina has fond memories of spending hours listening to her speak about the stars or rant about mundane things happening around the village she was rarely permitted to visit. She was her first love, one Regina has never truly gotten over.

****

Emma Swan was _not_ the same as her Emma.

****

She doesn’t share those memories like Regina does. She is an obnoxious, brazen, headstrong _pain in the ass_ who has a knack for eating all of Regina’s food and dropping by Regina's office unannounced.

****

Where her Emma was innocent and still so wide eyed about the world, this Emma is a bit jaded. She’d been shaped by this world, moulded into someone tough, someone who had to take care of herself from a tender age as she was shuffled around a lot in the foster care system.

****

And then Sheriff Graham makes her his deputy.

****

His _annoying_ , modern day copy of Regina’s dead soulmate deputy who shouldn’t be wearing her Emma’s face and attempting crazy stunts; like running into a fiery apartment building on her own to _save_ a trapped family barely two weeks after she's appointed the position.

 

It's a situation that garners the entire town's attention as they all gather in the town square.

 

Regina's on edge, spine ramrod straight as she stands on the side-lines with Henry tucked under her arm, observing the element she once wielded as it blazes through the building. Her fingers twitch, _magicless_ and she grits her teeth, stomach roiling uneasily the longer Emma remains in the burning building.

 

When it's all over, the family safe and taken to the hospital, Regina orders that the deputy be checked out for injuries - which she vehemently refuses. 

 

Regina rounds on Emma Swan in the middle of the festivities at Granny's celebrating her idiotic heroism, chest tight and annoyance radiating off her as the townsfolk sing her praises.

 

"Graham could at least _pretend_ to put some effort into selecting a competent deputy. He really would just hire anyone for the position." She sniffs, folding her arms as her eyes appraise deputy Swan.

 

Uncaring of soot covering her cheeks, tank top and jeans, Emma's in the middle of stuffing her mouth with a forkful of Granny's rich chocolate cake but her eyes narrow at the comment.

 

"Isn't that how _you_ became Mayor?" She asks dryly, licking icing from her lips as she appraises Regina.

 

Regina bristles, fists clenching at the impish smile tugging at the corner of Emma's still icing covered mouth.

 

"I'll have you know that I worked hard for this job, Miss Swan."

 

"Or maybe it came down to good old fashioned nepotism. Either way-" she arches an eyebrow, "I'm not judging."

 

A crowd of Emma's adoring fans interrupt them then and Regina takes Henry and leaves, unable to pinpoint just what was happening to her.

 

* * *

 

The rest of their encounters are fraught with tension as Regina channels her frustration with the Swan woman into resentment, which Emma picks up on immediately and returns with a levelled snark of her own.

 

Regina's reluctant to admit that it excites her, _she_ excites her, and against her better judgement she begins seeking Emma out for confrontations on the most mundane things, giving her an excuse to step into Emma's personal space until they're breathing the same air.

 

It's a complication that should scare Regina. But she's otherwise too caught up in this new dynamic to care.

 

Emma thinks she’s witty and much too charming with her comebacks. Her eyes glitter with mischief and an underlying softness when she looks at Regina and Regina feels like she's eighteen again and falling for her stablehand. **** ~~~~

Henry gets overly attached to Emma.

 

It's another complication that should scare Regina since it's what she feared would happen from the start. But her traitorous heart warms when she sees them together and Henry buries his face against Emma's chest, clinging to her with childlike enthusiasm and overflowing affection. Emma's eyes widen, and she holds him tighter in response, gently combing through his hair and pressing shaky kisses to the crown of his head with an unrestrained kind of love that makes Regina's soul ache.

 

She can't restrain herself from getting caught within Emma's orbit; she starts longing to join them on their walks down to the docks whenever they spend time together. Only to supervise her son _of course_.

 

But she _refuses_ to ask. That's _beneath_ her. 

 

Instead, she makes it look like she's joining them purely on coincidence, giving them excuses like  _I needed a walk_ or _swung by to collect tax documents_.

 

Henry accepts it, but Emma's eyebrow arches when she's caught waiting for them a third time at the docks a few minutes before they usually arrive. Her face burns and she immediately produces her excuse, "Fire drill at Town Hall, thought I'd just go for another walk."

 

Emma hums, and says nothing but Henry's eyes glitter with mischief. He takes her hand and one of Emma's and walks between them, swinging their hands like a child who wants to show off his parents. Regina's eyes catch Emma's above Henry's head and her breath hitches as the dying rays of the sun reflect off the gorgeous emerald of her eyes so beautifully. She smiles at Regina, breathless and soft and it's the first time Regina truly allows herself to observe just how uncanny her resemblance is to her Emma.

 

It's unnerving, but also exhilarating and the words _we're soulmates, you and I_ echo through her mind with a childlike exuberance borne of conversations from long ago.

 

Henry drops their hands and the moment is broken as an ice cream cart rounds the corner with shrieks of delight going off from children in the nearby vicinity. Regina knows what's coming as he turns on them with puppy dog eyes and she sighs and reaches for her purse.

 

A hand on hers gently stops her and her eyes find Emma's once more.

 

"Allow me?" Emma asks softly and Regina can't do anything except comply. Henry grins and takes off in a hurry with his spoils as Regina urges him not to run too fast. Emma chuckles and Regina sighs, shaking her head fondly as they watch him race to the front of the line.

 

She's about to follow him when Emma tugs her in with an arm gently slipping around her waist and lips ghosting across the outer shell of Regina's ear, making her shiver. "You don't have to keep making up excuses to join us, Madame Mayor." she says lowly, "I'm always happy to see you."

 

And Regina's too flustered to think up a witty retort to that.

 

* * *

 

In the following weeks, a begrudging respect for the woman forms and Regina starts inviting her over to her office for lunch - strictly platonic, _we-may-kinda-sorta-be-acquaintances-or-just-people-who-share-a-son_ types of lunches.

****

She learns a lot more about Emma from those encounters. Like the fact that she eats like a child and tops off her hot chocolate with cinnamon because _that makes it taste better_ and is the only way she drinks it. It’s a ridiculous excuse, but one Emma uses to get her to try the confectionary drink.

****

Regina protests but Emma’s _relentless_ , threatening to hop Henry up on the sugary drink before bedtime the next day if she doesn’t comply. Regina sighs, she knows Emma wouldn’t actually do that but it’s nice to let her feel like she has the upper hand sometimes, if only to see her lopsided smirk.

****

It’s endearing and Regina grumbles like she’s absolutely going out of her way to sip Emma’s drink and Emma grins when she finally tastes it and doesn’t immediately put it down. She sighs airily, eyes closing briefly as the hot chocolate warms her throat and it’s not _entirely_ bad.

****

“It’s amazing isn’t it?” Emma asks, as cheeky as ever. “Go ahead, you can admit it, I won’t breathe a word to anyone about hardass Mayor Mills going weak in the knees over hot chocolate.”

****

Regina reopens her eyes, pinning Emma in place with a raised eyebrow and her patented disaffected look as she hands the hot chocolate back to her. 

****

“It’s...adequate.” She admits and Emma snorts, bursting into laughter that sounds like wind chimes that sweep in like a cooling balm to Regina's unsuspecting heart.

****

“ _Bullshit_. I _know_ you’re lying.” Emma says pointedly, eyes glittering with affection. “I can’t explain it, but it’s like my super power. I always know when people are lying to me.”

****

And that sentence is...familiar.

****

Regina’s throat burns.

****

It’s not the first time Emma’s said those words to her. Well...not _this_ Emma.

****

But she files it away to obsess over later.

****

Emma starts telling her about the ugly pink jacket Mary Margaret is knitting for her to replace the red leather one she always wears _to give her a softer look_. Regina laughs at Emma’s outrage and can’t stop herself from smiling wider and wider.

****

* * *

****

On another of their random, but somehow planned lunch meetings, another fact hits Regina offhandedly. Emma Swan _smells_ like cinnamon.

 

She's stunned into silence in the middle of their discussion on the inner workings of political campaigning in Storybrooke the minute Emma leans across from her chair at Regina’s side to reach for a notepad on her desk.

 

Tears gather at the corner of Regina’s eyes and her lower lip trembles as Emma unknowingly fills her senses with a scent that’s attached to so many of Regina’s most cherished memories. 

 

She stands abruptly, startling the blonde deputy as she excuses herself to the en-suite connected to her office. She coaches herself in the mirror for long minutes on how to breathe, reminding herself that it’s _just another major coincidence_. A coincidence that had her heart in shambles. Emma comes knocking on the door after what feels like only a few minutes, concern making her voice waver with worry when Regina refuses to immediately let her in or come out.

****

In the end she tells Emma that Granny’s cheeseburgers usually makes her stomach ache and she calls it a day, allowing Emma to drive her home and thanking her on the porch with a faint smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

****

She’s surprised when Emma steps right into her personal space and engulfs her in a hug.  Regina absolutely _melts_ into her arms and the tears do come then, cascading down her face until she’s a weepy sobbing mess, clinging tightly onto the younger woman. Blonde hair tickles her lips and Regina's fists clench tighter against Emma's tank top.

****

Emma doesn’t ask her why she’s crying, but her arms around Regina’s shaky shoulders tighten in response to Regina’s soft whimpering, and that familiar safe haven, the faint smell of cinnamon, and the memories of those arms has Regina burying her face against Emma’s neck as her heart beats erratically.

****

She _pretends_ , just for a while, that this is the _right_ Emma, that they had indeed escaped Mother's wrath and lived to tell the tale, that fate hadn't been so cruel as to rip her soulmate away. They’d spent so little time together, it truly wasn’t fair how suddenly it had ended.

****

“Shh, it's okay, _I'm here_.” Emma murmurs, and it's comforting to Regina in a way she's sure Emma can never know or understand. “I’m here.”

****

The length of that hug is way too intimate for a first hug, a fact Regina wants to kick herself for when she finally finds the strength to pull away from those wonderful arms and Emma notices the tears on her face.

****

“Regina.” Emma murmurs her name _oh so softly_ , thumb gently stroking away those tears and it’s so... _f_ _amiliar_. Her actions, the level of care burning deeply within her soulful green eyes so like the forest, the warmth of her smiles, her perfectly parted lips...

****

Emma's eyes also fall to Regina’s lips and her cheeks glow that adorable shade of red Regina always used to tease her about. It's a charged moment, one that they both can't seem to break the spell of as they drift in closer until their foreheads are pressed together and they're breathing the same air.

****

Regina closes her eyes. _She can't help it_ , especially with the comfort and peace radiating off Emma, bringing to life the warmth of a connection she'd thought long lost.

****

Emma doesn’t say anything more and the moment ends as she abruptly clears her throat and takes a polite step back, blinking away the haze that had descended over them.

****

Regina’s on a sensual overload. Her body sways into Emma's before she catches herself and takes a step back too. She’s left floundering, afraid of what she might do if Emma Swan stays a moment longer on her doorstep.

****

“Thank you.” She rasps, clearing her throat as Emma smiles shyly and tucks her thumbs into her jeans. Regina instantly sees her Emma. “I...I'll see you...tomorrow.” She says in her most controlled voice turning on her heel and closing the door, leaving Emma Swan on her doorstep and not inviting her in.

****

* * *

****

Things go back to normal quickly.

****

Or, as quickly as they can.

****

Regina doesn't offer Emma an explanation. How would she explain why she broke down in Emma's arms? Emma doesn't push her, settling instead for a flimsy excuse of remaining a bit professional during their lunch meetings. Regina moves Emma's chair from beside her to directly in front of her, a Mayoral desk between them. They fall back into their usual rhythm, exciting Henry that they're, once again, getting along so well.

****

Henry wants to ask Emma for her help with breaking the curse, figuring that three heads are better than two. Regina absolutely forbids it.

****

He pouts for days on end, telling her that they need all of the help they can get and Regina distracts him by finally taking him down into her vault to show him some private magic books.

****

He’s a kid in a candy shop, touching things he shouldn’t and Regina has to constantly chastise him until she resolves to take the books and head back to the mansion.

****

* * *

****

On another lunch event at her office, Regina learns Emma nickname for  her yellow car - _Love Bug_. It’s absolutely _ridiculous_. Regina snorts, recalling Bug, _her_ Emma’s golden mare who she’d had since she was a girl. Her heart warms as Emma talks about her car like her Emma would talk about that horse.

****

It’s another fond comparison, but one that makes Regina pause and consider the similarities. The more Emma reveals about herself, the more Regina can see her Emma in her.

****

She musters up the courage to find the dark one’s cursed persona - the shady pawnbroker called Mr Gold, if only to let off some steam about the situation. He made the curse but she’s sure that even he couldn’t predict another Emma showing up.

****

Regina’s used to Mr Gold being confused by her words - words he says are meaningless to him when she rants about the old world. But this time as she talks about Emma and Henry, Gold’s face changes. The imperceptible smirk on his gaunt face grows and he blindsides her by cryptically admitting something of importance; Henry’s adoption was _always_ a part of _his_ plan.

****

Regina’s entire body goes rigid.

****

“You have your memories.” She accuses, anger and betrayal burning brightly in her dark eyes. Gold _cackles_ , an obnoxious sound that pierces the air with foreboding.

****

“She says with surprise in her voice for _some_ reason.”

****

He reminds her of his _foresight_ , brags to her that he was _leagues_ ahead in both knowledge and wit and that _this_ Emma Swan is the soul of her lost soulmate. Their connection to each other was never completely severed - just violently interrupted, triggering Emma’s soul to be reincarnated somewhere in Regina's future.

****

That information alone has Regina staggering backwards on shaky legs that threaten to bring her to her knees.

****

“If you’re lying to me I _swear_ I’ll- ”

****

“What use would I have for lying now?” The imp asks animatedly. “I’m going to get what I want - for this curse to come to an end. Especially since _fate_ is something that’s inevitable, even if it does love irony.”

****

It’s the first time Regina's truly seen Gold as giddy as his dark one persona as he talks about the curse being broken soon and Emma’s destiny as the Savior.

****

He informs her that Emma’s story begun anew in their land when she’d been born the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She was sent via a magical wardrobe carved from an enchanted tree to the land without magic as a mere baby. It allowed her to escape Regina’s curse and now Emma needs to fulfill her destiny, one Rumple slightly altered when he wrote her into the fabric of his curse as the Savior meant to _defeat_ the Evil Queen.

****

Bile settles like sludge in the pit of Regina’s stomach as the dark one grins and laughs that familiar manic laugh.

****

She flees from his pawnshop, feeling a fool as her curse was merely a strategically manipulated chess move on her part in the dark one’s elaborate schemes. Emma was the Savior, born of Snow’s lineage, who has to defeat Regina in order to break the curse.

****

Therein lay some hideous irony.

****

It explains why Emma gets along so well with Mary Margaret.

****

It also explains Emma’s unfortunate hero complex.

****

Emma had saved Henry a few days after being in town when he had gotten himself trapped in the mines during a hunt for clues to end the curse on his own.

****

During a friendly debate with Regina on making her Sheriff, she’d gotten called out on duty with Graham and _ran_ into a damn _burning building_ to save a family of three.

 

Then she became the damn _Sheriff,_ unwitting protector of Regina's little fairytale town in a matter of _months_ solely because she’s been so endeared by the townsfolk.

****

The final nail in Regina’s proverbial coffin is the fact that Emma Swan _always_ challenges her authority at _every possible turn_ with a cheeky smirk and her endearing convincing rants that usually have Regina giving in half way through.

****

Regina sits in her office, stomach twisting in anxious knots as her thoughts spiral.

****

How couldn’t she see it before?

****

Is she so blinded by her feelings that she didn’t notice the dark one’s plan falling perfectly into place?

****

Was Emma Swan, reincarnated version of her dead soulmate, capable of killing her to break this curse?

  
  
She fills Henry in on the new development that evening when he comes home from school. She’s close to tears when she admits her fate and Henry merely rolls his eyes and immediately discounts it all with a simple _Heroes don’t kill, Mom_.

****

But the fact that Emma was the Emma from the book excites Henry to no end and he proposes his original plan - the true love’s kiss that Regina firmly shoots down.

****

She can’t kiss her enemy - the one _fated_ to _destroy_ her.

****

That fact rattles her so immensely that she stops inviting Emma to lunches at her office and stops inviting her at home to watch Disney movies with her and Henry. She makes herself unavailable at every turn and every reschedule Emma tries to charm her way into, securing herself more meetings than actually necessary just to avoid the Sheriff.

****

But Henry doesn't get the memo.

****

He’s a stubborn child and one who’s even more unbearably smug when he thinks he’s right about something.

****

A trait he most likely gets from her.

****

He starts spending time with his _‘grandparents'_.

****

A fact Regina can’t quite stomach when she finds out that he used his storybook to set up Mary Margaret, getting her to read a story to her unwitting prince - thus waking the man from his lengthy coma.

****

Almost a month later into her freeze out of any and everything Emma Swan, Henry invites Emma, Mary Margaret and her officially reawakened coma prince to Regina's house for thanksgiving dinner - and they _all_ agree to show up.

****

Henry's on her about _being nice_ and _mending fences_ with the people she's wronged the most in order for the curse to break soon. Regina can't believe she's being lectured by her ten year old as he sits opposite her at the table that morning, narrating his expectations of the event like he's some privileged King.

****

She humours him, if only for the day, and ends up baking the turkey because she doesn’t trust any of their impending guests to do it correctly.

****

Mary Margaret and David arrive at her door first, much to Regina’s chagrin. Snow’s cursed self smiles at Regina like they’ve been friends all their lives. She gives Regina a brief side hug, quickly brushing past her and into the house carrying a massive bowl of mashed potatoes while David lumbers in with two mediums sized pumpkin pies.

****

Snow makes polite conversation, talking to Henry about school and helping him set the table while David quietly grills the last of the vegetables in Regina’s backyard under her careful supervision.

****

Emma Swan is the last guest to arrive and she’s _late_ which is just _so_ typical. Instead of lumbering in like she usually does, she rings the doorbell.

****

Regina's anxious about seeing Emma for the first time since confirming that she was her reincarnated Emma. She’s been avoiding the woman for _weeks_ now, but she shuffles all of that away to deal with later, hoping that they could all have one peaceful if mildly awkward dinner without ending up killing each other.

****

As she pushes open the door, Regina’s ready to reprimand the Sheriff about her tardiness but words seem to fail her at the sight that greets her.

****

Emma’s dressed in the _tightest_ fancy black pair of jeans Regina’s _ever_ seen. The thing looks like it’s practically _painted_ onto her, emphasizing the shapely curve of her ass and her mouth watering calves that lead down to black pumps. They make her tower even more inches above Regina.

****

It’s topped off by a flowing red blouse with a deep cleavage showing off just a hint of a lacy black bra below and it’s honestly the _sexiest_ and most dressed up Regina’s ever seen her look. Her hair hangs in a golden messy ponytail and her face is simply _stunning_ , smokey eyeshadow highlighting those gorgeous emerald eyes and Regina’s eyes are drawn to those smirking pink lips.

****

“Sorry I’m late.” Emma says and it’s fucking _charming_ the way her eyes dance with amusement. “Henry said to dress up so I actually tried to make an effort. I made a last minute pit stop to buy some stuff, I hope that’s okay?”

****

Regina’s left floundering.

****

She knows that her words are there, just at the tip of her tongue but her skin feels like it’s about to burn away. Emma moves in of her own accord, backing Regina into her own house and pressing the bottle of wine and a bowl of cranberry sauce into Regina’s limp hands.

****

“Wow, are you dressed as the Queen tonight?” She asks in a teasing whisper. “Don’t tell our kid but, I won’t mind being exclusively _your_ Savior.” Emma says cheekily, breaking Regina out of her trance-like state.

****

“What?” She asks, somewhat uneasily. It’s a pick up line. An _obvious_ pick up line, but the nature of it makes dread pool in Regina’s stomach.

****

“Henry?” Emma says, as if that fully explains what she means. “His book? He thinks I’m the Savior, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming meant to break a curse _you_ , the supposed _Evil Queen_ casted which brought a bunch of fairytale characters here?” She chuckles and when Regina doesn’t join in she tries to explain herself further.

****

“The kid’s truly got an active imagination and I _know_ , I shouldn’t encourage it by pretending to help him, especially with the way he told me the curse needs to be broken....” Emma’s eyes drift down to Regina’s lips and _oh_ , _now_ she gets the pick up line. “That is one strange book for a kid to be lugging around.” She finishes in a nervous ramble and Regina decides that she would deal with their son later but for now...

****

She allows her eyes to drift down to Emma’s jeans again in blatant appreciation, bringing a smirk back to the Sheriff’s lips and leaving the heaviness of that other conversation elsewhere.

****

“Is leather too mainstream now?” Regina rasps out and her cheeks redden pleasantly when Emma’s airy laughter floats just a few inches away from her own lips making her entire body tingle.

****

“Didn’t figure that leather would fly at a posh event at the Mayor’s house. Especially when she decides to stop ignoring me.”

****

“I haven’t been ignoring you.” Regina rebuts feebly. Emma raises a pointed eyebrow, taking a half step back. “We’re even about to have a simple dinner.”

****

“Simple.” Emma hums. “And yet you went all out, that sexy dress practically screams it.”

****

“Maybe not as loudly as your tight jeans.” Regina says and Emma laughs again as Regina finally reaches out, brushing a stray curl of blonde hair behind Emma’s ear. “Glad you could make it.”

****

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I do take my friendships _very_ seriously.” Emma says, and there’s innuendo there, Regina knows it. They’re _flirting_ and Emma’s smile is radiant, melting Regina’s heart.

****

Regina had opted for a little white number, a dress that fits her snug but modest at the chest and absolutely moulds itself to every curve of her body on the way down.

****

It’s entirely captivating how Emma’s green eyes darken in appreciation, making Regina’s hands itch to pull her in, pressing their hips together. She _loves_ the intensity burning within those eyes and as her face reddens, she clears her throat and finally manages to invite Emma Swan into her home.

****

The interactions between the group are a little stilted and slightly awkward but Mary Margaret makes conversation for them all that isn’t exactly awful and Henry joins in to referee their conversations when things get a little too tense.

****

That is, until Mary Margaret breaks their careful coexistence by blurting out a single sentence on the one topic Regina didn’t want to discuss with her ever again, in any lifetime.

****

“David and I are _soulmates_.”

****

At least she’d waited until everyone was mostly done with their meals.

****

Regina’s entire body goes rigid as her eyes automatically find Emma. Emma barely gives a reaction but it’s obvious that the Savior isn’t enthusiastic as she merely puts her fork down and raises an eyebrow.

****

The table gets so silent that a pin drop would probably be heard so, Snow continues.

****

“Yes, I _know_ that he’s married but the old mirror from Daddy’s house that had been shipped to my apartment when I first moved in confirmed it. I saw David in that mirror and he saw me when I brought him to it.”

****

“We’re just so grateful that we’ve finally found each other.” David quips.

****

“So what, are you just going to leave your wife?” Emma asks David pointedly. Her tone is a little too sharp and the tension around the table gets strained around the edges.

****

David gives her an easy smile. “I never meant to hurt Kathryn but I also can’t fight this. What I feel for Mary Margaret is...” He pauses and the sappiest most cliche utterly in love smile crosses his handsome face as he takes Snow’s hands. “...special. I feel like I was always meant to find her.”

****

It’s _nauseating_ , but with Emma present, Regina can get through it with a couple of eye rolls. That is, until the touching moment is abruptly cut when Emma chuckles, sipping a little from her wine glass before putting it down to address them all.

****

“What’s with everyone’s _fixation_ on soulmates?” She grouses and there’s so much _bitterness_ in her voice that Regina’s heart lurches painfully with her next few words. “I’ve never seen _anyone_ in any of those stupid mirrors and I turned out _fine_. Not everyone _needs_ a goddamn _soulmate_.”

****

It’s a damning line. One Regina can attest tears into her heart and threatens to rip it apart at the poorly mended seams. Was Rumple wrong about Emma being her soulmate here? Was Regina truly doomed to live her life _without_ her Emma? Her eyes burn and tears threaten to spring to them but she grits her teeth and curls her hands into shaky fists.

****

“That’s fine too.” Snow jumps in to say, patting Emma on the shoulder as she seeks to diffuse the tension. “Not everyone needs a soulmate, right Regina?”

****

Regina abruptly stands and all four pairs of eyes are on her.

****

Emma is all she can see, all she can yearn for so fervently that there’s no mistaking the anguish on her face. It’s as if she’s eighteen again and back in that cold castle lying on the floor staring at an unattainable image of her Emma in that mirror. The dark one’s words float to her mind in a taunting reminder, _Emma needs to fulfill her destiny as the_ Savior _meant to_ defeat _the Evil Queen_.

****

The air in the room is heavy with all of the things Regina wants to say, all of the memories she has with both Emmas that she cherishes with every fragment of her beating heart. But fate was here to make her suffer once more, never giving her a reprieve.

****

Emma’s casually cruel words replay in her mind again and again and Regina’s forced to accept the fact that Emma Swan does _not_ have a soulmate.

****

The walls in the room are too close, Regina’s chest rising and falling with rapid breaths as Emma rises from her seat directly opposite her, concern and sadness in her green expressive eyes as she reaches out to Regina. She doesn’t hear what the others around the table are saying but the minute Emma touches her arm she recoils like she’s been burnt.

****

Regina rushes out of the dining room on shaky legs, away from everyone’s confused stares, heels clicking sharply on tiles as she makes a beeline for her study.

****

Emma Swan isn’t her soulmate.

****

And now she wishes she’d never broken that family heirloom mirror, wishes she could disapprove what Emma’s said and _show_ her that they’re soulmates.

****

But she can’t do that!

****

Emma Swan was here to _destroy_ her, just like the dark one predicted. And yet, here Regina was, allowing her fantasy about soulmates and Henry’s well wishes to take over her mind, making her invite her damn _enemies_ into her household for a _mundane American tradition_.

****

Rumple was probably having a laugh at her right this very moment because of his unnerving _foresight_. It was ridiculous to think that he’d played her like this, that he’d get the last laugh after essentially destroying Regina with her own former soulmate.

****

Regina’s so wrapped up in her head and pacing the floor that she doesn’t hear Emma come into the room. She’s blatantly unaware of the woman’s presence until Emma’s grasping onto her forearms and stopping her from pacing.

****

“Hey, _hey_. It’s okay. Regina?” Emma whispers her name so softly. Regina wishes that her voice alone didn’t make her so weak in the knees.

****

She struggles against Emma’s hold, wanting to pull away but Emma just draws her closer into her arms until Regina’s palms are pressed to her chest and Emma’s are wrapped around her waist. Regina’s breathing spikes, her entire body shaking as a feeling of vertigo makes her drift a little in Emma's arms.

****

“Shh, just breathe.” Emma encourages, removing her hands from around Regina’s body and softly framing her face. “Just breathe for me.”

****

Regina closes her eyes and does as Emma says.

****

Emma presses her forehead to hers and with the sound of Emma’s calming voice, she slowly follows her lead and begins to breathe normally. Regina doesn’t know how long they stay like that, caught up in each other, but several long minutes pass before she’s able to reopen her eyes and press her forehead to Emma’s shoulder.

****

Emma’s arms drift down to her waist and Regina doesn’t want her to ever let go. She nuzzles warmly against Emma’s neck, finally realizing that Emma had likely kicked her heels off somewhere when she entered the room. A hint of a smile makes its way to her face when Emma begins to hum a tune softly against her ear. It's a song that she knows, one her Emma would hum to her whenever they were alone together, tucked away from the world where they could lay cuddled in each other's arms.

****

Emma had the most beautiful voice Regina has ever heard and now as she sings, the calm it infuses within Regina takes her back all those years ago, before Mother and Snow, before the King and the curse and the imp and everything else in between.

****

“I’ve always had that particular song stuck in my head.” Emma admits in a whisper as her hands slide up Regina’s back in calming circles. “I’ve just...never felt the need to sing it to anyone before. But with you…” Emma’s throat bobs as she swallows thickly. “I can’t seem to help myself. I feel like it was made for you. W-why is that?” She asks in the shakiest voice.

****

She sounds genuinely confused and as Regina finally lifts her head from her wonderful perch on Emma’s shoulder, their eyes meet.

****

It’s like one of those perfect moments suspended in time. Emma’s eyes burn with an emotion that goes far beyond mere affection, making Regina’s heart flutter when her lips twist into a faint smile.

****

Regina cups her beautiful face, and her eyes well with frustrated tears as her _fate_ echoes loudly in her mind and she decides to be a little more trusting with Emma.

****

“I lost my soulmate...many years ago.” She admits. Emma instantly goes rigid against her, the burgeoning hope in her eyes dimming considerably at Regina’s confession.

****

“Oh.” Emma says, instantly disentangling her arms from around Regina, missing the look of disappointment in her eyes. “Are they the reason why you…” Her mouth opens and closes a few times before she's able to complete the sentence. “...why you didn't want to get too close to me?”

****

“Yes.” Regina replies. “But you remind me so much of her. The way you laugh, the way you smile, the way you love with your whole heart, Emma Swan.”

****

Emma smiles, a shy vulnerable thing that's so endearing to Regina's rapidly beating heart. 

****

“I've never been so lucky.” Emma says around a humourless laugh. “Those mirrors...I feel like I _should_ see something in them. But I never do.” A heart wrenching sob escapes Emma’s lips, one that Regina’s heart echoes. “I even tried Mary Margaret’s _stupid_ mirror a few days ago, foolishly believing that somehow...I’d see you.”

****

“Emma.” Regina whispers, and tears spring to Emma’s eyes, eyes that look at her with so much wonder like Regina was the sun and the moon and the stars and she was helplessly trapped within her orbit, burning with such love muddled by a muted look of fear that she couldn’t contain it.

****

_There you are my love, I’ve been looking for you forever_ , Regina’s heart sighs it’s recognition in Emma’s familiar soul. She’s finally able to put her doubts about Emma not being her soulmate to rest because those words...they were basically the confirmation that Emma was deeply in love with her too. 

****

And if Regina has to be destroyed by her then so be it - she’d willingly be led there. She’d accept her fate as the one the Savior was meant to destroy.

****

“I’m so sorry about what I said out there.” Emma continues shakily. “I didn't think. It was insensitive. And I truly didn’t mean to offend you.” She sniffles a little, leaning into Regina’s touch the moment Regina gently cups her cheek this time, tenderly brushing away those tears.

****

“I’ve been alone all my life. I don’t do warm, touchy or sentimental. And the thought of not having a soulmate never used to bother me as much until I came here.” Her eyes flicker to Regina’s. “Until I met you.” Regina’s eyes burn with tears of her own then as Emma smiles, so shaky and so beautiful.

****

“And I just…” Emma breathes out, reigning in her shaky voice. “I feel like maybe the mirror probably knew I'd be an awful soulmate...to you.”

****

“Anyone in the world would be privileged to have a soulmate like you.” Regina fiercely rebuts those doubts and she absolutely means it.

****

She hadn't used one of those enchanted mirrors since they were all whisked away to Storybrooke, but if the reason why Emma couldn't see her in the mirror was because they weren't soulmates in this land, then she just doesn’t care anymore.

****

“I told you about _fate_ bringing me here that first night.” Emma smiles, taking a step that has Regina looking up into her shining eyes as their bodies are now pressed from chest to torso. “...and call me crazy but I still think that’s true.”

****

“Fate.” Regina says and there’s a note of pain to her voice that recalls Mother's obsession with that very word. It definitely did lead Emma to Storybrooke...to be its Savior. “Often times, fate can be cruel.”

****

“My heart knows you, Regina Mills.” Emma says with such conviction, breaking Regina out of her despair as her hands settle warmly around Regina’s lower back. “And I know it’s impossible but I feel like... _maybe we had each other, and lost each other too_."

****

That reply is spot on, instantly sending Regina right back to where their story began and was abruptly interrupted. Her eyes get even glassier with unshed tears if possible.

****

“So I propose that we make our own fate, together.”

****

“Like second chance soulmates?” Regina asks softly, tenderly stroking the corner of Emma's mouth as her eyes flicker up to catch warm green.

****

“Yes.” Emma breathes, a fraction away from her lips. “I'm not crazy right? You feel it too?”

****

“I do.”

****

And that’s all that’s left to say, Regina leans up a little on the tips of her toes as Emma’s eyes close and she meets her in the warmth of a dizzying kiss. A kiss that turns into another and another, sending pulses of electricity skittering down her spine and tingles where their lips meet.

****

The feelings it brings are heart-warming, hovering in the air around them, dancing on their skin like ribbons of magical wisps. It’s an enchanting reaffirmation to Regina’s heart and soul that she intimately knows the curve of Emma’s familiar mouth and the light hearted feel of Emma’s very soul, connecting with hers, becoming one with hers.

****

The joining of their hearts sends a radiant shower of light scattering across the town of Storybrooke as the Savior fulfills her fate in finally breaking the curse, and defeating the Evil Queen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! :)
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